Saviour
by A Anonymous FanFiction Writer
Summary: Harry Potter ran away at the age of six from the Dursleys, and he finally ended up near Spinner's End. Severus Snape was taking a walk during the summer when he finds a boy with black hair in an alleyway. When the two meet, how will a man with past prejudices and an abused boy filled with hopefulness at the chance to have an actual guardian come together to become a family?
1. Carry On

**Prologue: Carry On**

_"If you're lost and alone _  
_Or you're sinking like a stone. _  
_Carry on. _  
_May your past be the sound _  
_Of your feet upon the ground. _  
_Carry on."_

**-Carry On by Fun.**

He didn't know where he was going, truthfully, but he did know that he was going to get away from that place. He ran past different houses, with lights on and off and window curtains either parted or not. He could see one where a family was sitting down to watch a show on the television and just wished he could have something like that.

He didn't bring anything with him when he left, which now in hindsight, was a bad idea. He was wearing the tattered and bloodied clothes from the last beating a few days ago, and he was healed enough to run.

He had only run because he definitely knew it was the best thing to do, and none of the Dursleys were home for once, which made it the best time to leave. He was sure Uncle Vernon was going to kill him if he ever found him, but at least he got to run.

The boy who looked like he was four or five instead of being almost seven was slowly losing energy as he passed by a sign that said 'Welcome to Spinner's End.'

Finally finding an alleyway that was hid semi-well and that he could hide in, Harry Potter lay down against the brick wall and took a nap, not knowing that when he woke up, somebody would be there to take care of him.

Severus Snape was currently taking a walk, as it was now near nightfall. He never usually did this, but he felt like taking one today for some unknown reason. He found he quite liked the idea of walking around to relax and think clearly in the evening air.

But, what he didn't expect to find or hear on that lovely evening was the sniffles and rustling of someone like a child in an alleyway that he happened to pass by.

When he walked into the alleyway, looking for whomever was making the sounds, he was shocked when he saw someone with messy black hair, bloodied over-sized clothing and the size of a four year-old.

He was looking at Harry Potter, James Potter's son.


	2. Demons, Part I

**Chapter One: Demons, Part I**

_"I wanna hide the truth_  
_I wanna shelter you_  
_But with the beast inside_  
_There's nowhere we can hide."_

**-Demons by Imagine Dragons**

The first thing that Severus thought was: This is James Potter's son, why am I even still here?

And as he turned to leave, not even trying to help the boy in the tattered over-sized clothing that was also bloodied, he heard another voice in his mind that sounded like one he would never hear again. But the boy seems to be extremely injured, Severus, why wouldn't you try to help him? How would you feel, knowing you left a child to die, even if it was James'?

The voice sounded like Lily and he realized in that instance that it wasn't just Potter's son there, it was also Lily's son. With a shaking breath, he turned around and walked up to the frail boy in the alleyway, picking him up gently, making sure that he isn't hurting the boy.

And, as the boy seemed to snuggle into his embrace, he began walking towards his home, but only after casting a notice-me-not charm.

Severus Snape seemed to realize that he wouldn't be able to warm up to the boy right away, even if he was possibly abused and carrying him now, but for now, he had a boy to protect at all costs.

Harry woke up to the smell of something unfamiliar, and definitely not the smells that he smelled yesterday in the alleyway when he fell asleep. He hadn't opened his eyes yet, but slowly did and did not see the sky like he thought he would.

That was a definite indication that he was not in the alleyway, and he opened his eyes fully, slowly beginning to sit up and look around him, bewildered.

He was in a room that had dark green wallpaper and silver carpeting, and also had a bed, a desk, a wardrobe, a dresser and a nightstand, all done in green and silver coloring. He wondered what was so important about those colors in this room.

But, after examining the room, it hit him that he was in a person's home – somebody whom he didn't know. For all Harry knew at the moment, the person who brought him could be selling him to others, like his uncle had threatened continuously.

The door that he noticed which was on the right of his bed (the left had a window that was covered in silver curtains) opened slowly and a bit of light from the hallway trickled in, as Harry made his eyes adjust to the light source and look at the newcomer.

Severus had been napping lightly as he had a long night trying to tend to the boy's injuries since they had been quite extensive and needed a lot of potions and spells to keep him from collapsing after he woke up.

He had also cast a charm that would alert him to when the boy would sit up and awaken, which it did almost six hours after napping. Getting up from the armchair in the sitting room, he ascended the stairs quietly and walked over to the guest room, where he had put the boy.

Opening the door quietly, he could see the boy looking at him with his round, taped glasses and those green eyes that reminded him so much of Lily.

"Hi, Harry." The man said quietly as Harry just stared at him. He pulled out a stick and made the lights go up a bit more so that Harry could take in the man's features.

The man had shallow skin and hair that looked quite greasy and went down to his shoulders, and the hair was also black. He wore black robes, which made Harry wonder if he was really fond of the colors green, silver and black.

"Hi." Harry replied quietly.

The man walked over to the desk where he pulled out a desk chair and pulled it over to the side of Harry's bed so they could talk.

The man began to speak again. "My name is Severus Snape, and I am a Potions Master at Hogwarts, which is a magic school. I healed some of your more worse injuries, but I can't help but ask, how did you get them?"

Harry's breath hitched and a million thoughts ran through his head at once.

What is a Potions Master? That was one of the thoughts. Is Magic Real? Was another one.

Severus could easily see that the boy was confused as to what he said and so he tapped the boy on the shoulder, watching as the boy recoiled in shock and in fear, and realizing that he drastically underestimated how badly the Dursleys had treated him.


	3. Demons, Part II

_**Chapter One: Demons, Part II**_

**June 29, 1987**

_"When you feel my heat_  
_Look into my eyes_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_Don't get too close_  
_It's dark inside_  
_It's where my demons hide_  
_It's where my demons hide."_

**-Demons by Imagine Dragons**

He was somewhere he thought he had escaped, and as a secluded corner of his mind tried to tell him that it was impossible that he had gone from Severus Snape's house to the Dursleys' in a mere second, he ignored it and thought: Oh no... I can hear Uncle Vernon... he's drunk. What is he gonna do?

"Freak!" The drunk Vernon Dursley roared as he lumbered over to the cupboard and set his gaze upon the five year-old Harry.

Harry could now realize that he was in a memory, but that did nothing to comfort him because he distinctly remember what was going to happen next. He wanted to look away, to not be able to see it again, but he realized he was seeing it through the five year-old version of himself's eyes, not his six year-old, like he was just a presence in his younger self's vision.

He saw no way of getting out of this mess.

Severus sat there in shock, staring at the boy who was obviously now stuck in a flashback, which confirmed Severus' belief that the boy was abused, at least physically and mentally.

With how Harry was convulsing upon the bed, however, Severus began to wonder. Was the boy abused sexually?

It would make sense as the shoulder tap could easily have meant something that his family did to him... why would Albus leave Harry Potter of all people with monsters who would abuse him this badly. Another reason, Severus thought as it popped into his head, there were injuries around his bum and privates.

It all fit together. The Dursleys abused Harry emotionally, psychically, mentally, and sexually. What did Harry Potter do to deserve this?

Knowing that there was no way of getting him out of the flashback, Severus had to try and relax and look at the poor boy only a couple of times.

"You know you want it, you dirty little Freak..."

Uncle Vernon's voice was just as seedy-sounding as it was the first time around, but now it seemed to have an echo to it like it was disappearing. He suddenly saw darkness, which he did not remember from the last time and could see green wallpaper swimming in front of him.

As if he could reach it, he reached out with his hand and paddled closer to the image, recognizing it as the room in Severus' house. He seemed to break the water and appear above it, because his vision was clear once more and he could now see the man in front of him.

Severus was in a chair, napping, and that was probably because he had taken a while to get out of the flashback, but at least he had.

Severus woke up only three hours after the flashback began to see Harry awake and staring at him, probably thinking.

"Hello, Harry."

The young boy jumped slightly, but then got a good look at who was speaking to him and then slowly waved back, recognizing that if his actual name was used, then it definitely wasn't his uncle.

Severus began speaking again, because he realized that it was better to get what he needed to say over with sooner than later.

"Now, Harry, I need to ask you what your guardians did to you whether it be from your Aunt, your Uncle or your cousin. Okay?"

Trembling slightly, Harry nodded slowly and began his tale, threatening to break down in parts.

**One Hour Later**

Severus closed the door to the room quietly and quickly as he stood outside the door to Harry's room, because he had said that Harry needed to rest after a day of 'excitement,' and stared at it for a moment.

What the hell had Albus done? Severus thought. He left a poor boy with magic-hating muggles and then decided to never check up on him... what is Albus planning?

The man with the greasy hair walked down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing a shotglass from the cabinet and poured some firewhiskey into it. He really felt that he was going to need it.

Before sitting down in the parlour, he also grabbed the bottle itself. He felt he would need that too.

It was time for some serious contemplation.

Okay, so, Albus decided to leave Harry on the doorstep of the Dursleys, a magic-hating family who's matriarch resented Lily and hated the Potters. Then, Albus never checked up on the boy so he never knew that the boy was being abused. Albus would have checked on him if he knew... right?

But Severus wasn't believing the words as he thought them anymore.

Albus would have checked on his precious Boy-Who-Lived even if he was only getting a scrape if he truly cared about it. And then, what about those blood wards that Albus said he had erected.

Wouldn't they have collapsed when Harry thought that it was not his home? He had mentioned it when he was talking about his thoughts in the cupboard.

With all of the facts, Severus was definitely believing that Albus had meant to put Harry there without protecting him and had meant to let him be abused. He began to ponder that line of thought – why would Albus do that?

And with a sudden jolt and a feeling of sickness in his stomach, it hit him.

Albus was going to have Voldemort return and Harry was being moulded into the perfect weapon.

Oh shit.

If Albus was planning to do this, a young boy's childhood would be ruined forever! How had he not noticed Dumbledore's manipulations before? He should have been smart enough, especially since he was a spy for so long!

Then he started feeling like pieces of cobwebs were being picked from his mind and he was bombarded with a bunch of new information.

And when, an hour and a half later he had decoded it, he realized something that he honestly thought would never be true. Dumbledore (he did not deserve to be called Albus any longer) had messed with his mind to make him forget this! What the hell?

He then realized that Dumbledore's manipulations may run deeper than Severus imagined... what if it had started years and years earlier? He could have been planning something like this for so long!

Severus was now beginning to doubt everything Albus had ever said to him. He could have been lying, had messed with his mind or even told only half-truths.

Did Albus lie about his family, about his fight with Albus Dumbledore... about everything?

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Severus said in his mind, you are dead.

**Hogwarts – Headmaster's Office, Same Time**

Albus Dumbledore had had a very good day so far.

He had hired a new Defense professor for the new school year and had made sure that nobody was going to be leaving this year via blackmail.

Of course, that good mood did not last long at all. He walked into his office and noticed that three devices that monitored Harry Potter's life as long as he called Number Four, Privet Drive home were destroyed and broken beyond repair.

And Albus definitely knew what that meant.

It meant that Harry no longer called Privet Drive home.

The fourth device was broken as well, monitoring Harry's whereabouts.

And Albus did not know where Harry was.

His weapon was gone!

This was not good, perhaps he should talk to Severus in trying to help tracking him down. That would be a good idea...

And then he felt a shudder go down his back, as if somebody was already signing his death certificate.

**Flashback – Privet Drive, November 1, 1981**

"Albus, have you seen these muggles?" McGonagall yelled at the old man, incredibly angry. "They obviously hate magic and anything unnatural! Why would you put the Boy-Who-Lived in a home like this to live? I mean, really-"

A hand was waved in front of her face and for a moment, McGonagall recognized the hand as Dumbledore's before the memories of the last day were removed from her mind.

"What's going on, Albus?"

Albus looked at the woman and said, with a plain face, "Harry here is going to be placed with the Dursleys, Harry's only current living relatives. You blacked out after a party last night that Voldemort was dead."

He hated to do things like these, but they were necessary. All for the Greater Good, of course.


End file.
